John Baker’s Blog

Chilli Palmer is looking to make another movie. But this time it’s going to be based around LA’s music industry.

There’s a band headed by a woman with a voice, Linda Moon. There’s a group of gangsta rappers. There’s a low life pimp with a huge body-guard who has a record for throwing people out of hotel windows. And the professionals, the police, the record and movie industry movers and shakers all come in as supporting cast.

Elmore Leonard is a master of his craft and could probably write a novel like this in his sleep. It is unlikely that that was how Be Cool was produced, but from time to time an innocent reader could be forgiven for thinking so. This is a great pity, because Be Cool is a sequel to Get Shorty, which was one of the writer’s best novels.

Chilli Palmer, the central character, movie maker, now a recording industry mogul, and an ex loan-shark with extensive connections among the criminal fraternity is, without doubt, a cool guy. Unfortunately, this time around, he has got himself stuck between the pages of a less-than-average novel.

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